It’s 8:14PM on a Thursday. Before I started this blog post, I stared off into space for about 20 minutes, trying to think of something new I could accomplish in the next hour that would help Design by Laney grow. Something, anything to help us generate leads, close leads we already have, or make our process flows more efficient. I came up with nothing.

North Carolina is known for beautiful Fall foliage, and this year has not disappointed! Pretty much every time I head outside, I want to pick up all the leaves and make a million craft projects - they may technically be “dead,” but these colors will certain bring your home to life! Last year, on a whim, I picked up a bunch of fallen leaves and made place cards for Thanksgiving dinner later that day - this year, we’re planning a little further ahead so I thought I’d put together a DIY post for you featuring our very popular Autumn leaf calligraphy place cards. Our friend Carley at CZ Invitations just posted a new blog with a bunch of Holiday Place Card ideas, so check them out for some more ideas as well!

Happy Anniversary Design by Laney! Yep, that’s right, I’m wishing myself a happy anniversary cause I’m the boss of me and I can do that. I can even buy myself a cookie cake to celebrate if I want (if you want to be the boss of me, all you have to do is buy me cookie cake!).

There are so many little things that you pick up along the way as a business owner, but don’t really have time to sit down and think about, nonetheless time to actually put them into action. This year, as a gift to my future self, I decided to take 2 months to casually (and not-so-casually) work on all those little projects that I kept adding the list and never crossing off.

Are you all loving the Budget Series? We didn’t want to provide a percentage list, because those are everywhere, none of them are accurate, and none of them really account for your priorities. Probably everyone would like at least a tiny bit more wedding money, but the perfect wedding is about weighing all the options and deciding what is right for you and your fiancé. You may think that the costs are all finished on the wedding day, but there are actually quite a few ways that you can accidentally incur additional costs on the wedding day. We have put together a quick list of those for you, and provided some tips that will help you avoid getting an extra bill while you’re off on your honeymoon!

Of course we had to include a budget series post on invitations! We have a great post about WHY invitations cost what they do, but a lot of couples ask me the question “What can we do with our budget?” so I thought we’d help answer that today! There are so many misleading posts out there - you’ll find The Knot saying that average cost is around $500, and then Brides tells us that the average couple spends $5,000 - $8,000, so it’s hard to know what to believe. Keep on scrolling for an example of what you can get at a few different price points!

We are living in a generation where we think we can do it all, am I right? That is a huge assumption when we start planning our own wedding, but honestly, I'm not sure I know one bride who can do it all; let alone have the time and energy to do it all! I for one have no plans to DIY every aspect of my wedding, and that’s with years of experience. In this blog post we are going to discuss What You Should and Should Not DIY for your dream wedding. If you follow these tips, you’ll find that perfect balance between not breaking the bank and not breaking your neck!

Budgeting is without a doubt one of the most stressful parts of the wedding planning process, and things have gotten more complicated now that wedding traditions are being broken around every turn. The truth is, you can do whatever you want for your own wedding, but there are some traditional considerations that will help guide you throughout this process. As the first installment in our budgeting series, we’ve laid out all the traditional “rules” for who should pay for what during a wedding, and given you our best advice for which ones to follow, and which ones are okay to break. Make sure to check back in for the rest of the month for more posts about how to budget, maximize your budget, and find more room for activities within your budget!

Happy October friends! We have some seriously exciting things coming up this month, most notably our Wedding Budget Series that comes out every Friday of this month (yes, even this Friday, meaning TWO blog posts this week WAHOO). But first, we are excited to share a collaboration that’s been in the works for several months with Jenny the Nutritionist!

Whenever I'm chatting with or coaching new business owners, I consistently hear things about potential clients ghosting, not receiving many inquiries, or not receiving inquiries for the *right* pieces. All of these are HUGE obstacles we face every day, and all are solved by the same answer - if you aren't receiving the right inquiries, it's probably because you aren't reaching your ideal client.

This real styled shoot was put together by one of our favorite vendors - Rachel Le from Rachel Le Events. Rachel has superb taste and attention to detail, which was what made us such a good team when we used to work together (this was when Design by Laney barely existed!), and it showed through in every little aspect of this beautiful shoot! Take a look at these dusty details and let us know what you think! Full vendor list is provided below, and all photos are courtesy of the talented and wonderful Garrett Richardson Photography

Hi loves! Thank you all for following along - this month we've been traveling up a storm for about half of the days, and working up a storm on all the days in between. I am so excited about all of our upcoming partner resources - we have recently partnered with a home décor company, a ceramicist, a couple of photographers, and a nutritionist, just to name a few, to bring you all the best resources in the wedding field. Our friends at Loyes Diamonds over in Ireland (WOW!) asked us to provide some feedback and information for a handy Wedding Invitation 101 Infographic, and we are just OBSESSED with the final product. It breaks down the process of wedding invitations to a simple, easy to follow steps, with some tips and tricks that will help you get the most out of the process. So check it out if you're an invitation newbie and make sure you browse the gorgeousness over at Loyes (the Lily and Monica styles are my two faves in the Antique Style section!).

Everyone prepare yourselves for some dinner party amazingness! It turns out you don't have to be hosting a wedding to have a gorgeous tablescape - I am the girl who can't ever remember what side the spoon is supposed to go on, but as soon as I discovered Lindsay at Suite One Studio, I immediately started saving up to purchase some of her amazing dinnerware. Now I just need a giant house and a few more friends who can cook...but if you are lucky enough to have those things, then you don't want to miss out on today's DIY. We took our most saved photo on Pinterest and turned it into an easy step-by-step tutorial for you today (complete with beginner and advanced lettering tips so anyone can join in). So keep reading to learn how to make these amazing Gold-Dipped Magnolia Leaf Place Cards, and make sure you check out a wealth of other gorgeousness from Suite One Studio before your next dinner party (or you know, just a fancy Tuesday)!

"Collaboration" can mean SO many different things in the creative world - sometimes it means co-writing a blog post, sometimes it means creating a piece with another creative who has different expertise, and sometimes, as we all know, it can mean "give me your time and energy for free". This last one has become all-too-prevalent for many artists, so our alarm bells go off as soon as we see the word "collaborate". However, I have been asked to collaborate and asked others to collaborate in efforts that have been mutually beneficial for all parties involved - this is actually how I landed a mention in People last year! I am a firm believer in the power of collaboration, so I wanted to share some common misconceptions about collaborating and what the truth really is. If you are planning a collaboration soon, then these are some vital tips to be aware of to make sure you get the most out of it (and don't set off any of those alarm bells with your fellow creatives!).

The hills of Tuscany, the falls of Niagara, the mountains of Chile - it is no surprise that thousands of people plan destination weddings every year. The draw is definitely there for a wedding and honeymoon all in one, plus the added bonus of cutting some of those "work acquaintances" off of your guest list! But it takes a lot of behind the scenes planning to make those glamorous photos happen! Today, we have put together a list of the some of things you need to consider when planning your destination wedding, no matter where in the world you have planned for your Big Day.

Whenever you receive a “Save the Date” or invitation to a wedding, one of the first things you may do is look up the couple’s registry online. From engagement blogs, to Instagram feeds, to full-blown wedding websites, it is now easier than ever for soon-to-be spouses to share details of their nuptials with friends, family and followers. Whether you are recently engaged and looking for registry ideas, or attending a wedding and searching for a good gift to give, here are some ideas that are bound to be remembered, used and cherished for years to come.

Hi folks! Since so many of you asked over the past couple weeks, I have decided to make my 100 workout tracker sheet a free download! Be warned - it has cheesy platitudes and encouragement all over it! It has helped me so much, though, because I absolutely love having something to cross off after every workout. Mine is a total mess right, because I also use the margins to keep track of specific workout goals (my particular ones are certain distances/times for my triathlon legs, increasing my squat weight, and decreasing my assisted pull up weight). I also write what I did each day in the square, with the date, so I can tell what my schedule has looked like over the past week or so. My goal was 100 workouts by the end of 2018, and I'll be meeting that this Saturday which is June 9 (my triathlon will be number 100 because I just love poetry like that!). I hope you enjoy, and would love to keep updated on your progress for the rest of the year - I'm definitely going to try and get another 100 in!

I get asked a lot of business questions, and the one that pops up the most is how I have so many followers on Instagram. I will be honest - this is the part of my business that I’m least humble about. I am proud of that K, and I danced when the “swipe up” feature got added, but what I’m most proud of is that those followers are the right followers for my business. This is the key to the entire social media game - not growing the number, but growing the number in the right way. So today, we’ll talk about how you can use #hashtags to do just that! If you prefer video format, check out our YouTube video on this same topic - the information is a little different.

Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night...though this isn’t the Post Office’s official motto (as you may have thought!), it sounds pretty serious. In truth, the Post Office is an amazing service that we have here in the United States. They process 493.4 million pieces of mail every single day. That’s over 5,700 piece every second. That’s insane - but also absolutely incredible, and I am constantly in awe of them.

You may not have a ton of contact with the post office outside of a few birthday cards once a year, but if you are planning a wedding, get ready to be extra friendly with your mailbox for a while. Most stationery designers have a love/hate relationship with the US Post Office, and I tend to err on the side of love (for evidence, see above. 493.4 million!!!). I currently have a postman who goes above and beyond the call of duty for me, and always has a great attitude - and some nice pats for my dog, which doesn’t hurt! However, you have probably started hearing horror stories about missing Save the Dates or invitations going rogue. Out of almost 500 million pieces every day, sometimes some pieces slip through the cracks, so we put together a list of the most common Post Office Woes and how to avoid them when mailing your wedding invitations!

Today is the day - we say that a lot, don’t we? Yet another fun launch has been added to the chain of fun launches this year! Today is the first release of our YouTube Channel, The Doorbell. This first video explains all the love and thought that went into that name, so definitely take a look at it (HERE) to hear the full story - plus some other fun ones involving Kristen Bell, The Spice Girls, and a few more of the most inspirational women I know! I also provided 7 of my favorite quick and easy tips for improving your work life balance, so we are covering those here in case reading is more your jam! All of these tips can be put into place in a day, so you should be well on your way to better work/life balance by this time tomorrow.

It’s Launch Day! Wait...weren’t we just hearing that in February? And also back in October? I will admit, there have been a lot of launches lately, and there are some new ones coming up too (YouTube Channel, anyone?!). Today marks one of the most fun ones, though - at least on our end. If you’ve been following along, you know that we love working with Wax Seals! Big, small, custom, simple, abstract, we love them all - especially if we get to add in unconventional materials. So when WaxSeals.com and Artisaire reached out to me about becoming a part of their Creative Community, I was over the moon excited! So without further ado….let me introduce you to our signature design, the Paper Crane wax seal!

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